Most Popular Books by Gail Carriger

This steampunk series debut set in the same world as the New York Times bestselling Parasol Protectorate is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail Carriger''s legions of fans have come to adore. Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than in proper manners—and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine''s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine''s, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage—in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year''s education.

Buffy meets Jane Austen in the first book of this wickedly funny NYT bestselling series about a young woman whose brush with the supernatural leads to a deadly investigation of London''s high society. Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she''s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London''s high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? Soulless is the first book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire''s second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Until, that is, she receives a summons that cannot be ignored. With husband, child, and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire? Timeless is the final book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault in the fourth book of the NYT bestselling Parasol Protectorate series. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband''s past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux''s latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines, Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant. Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf''s clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama''s second best closet? Heartless is the fourth book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Quitting her husband''s house and moving back in with her horrible family, Lady Maccon becomes the scandal of the London season in the third book of the NYT bestselling Parasol Protectorate series. Queen Victoria dismisses her from the Shadow Council, and the only person who can explain anything, Lord Akeldama, unexpectedly leaves town. To top it all off, Alexia is attacked by homicidal mechanical ladybugs, indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London''s vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead. While Lord Maccon elects to get progressively more inebriated and Professor Lyall desperately tries to hold the Woolsey werewolf pack together, Alexia flees England for Italy in search of the mysterious Templars. Only they know enough about the preternatural to explain her increasingly inconvenient condition, but they may be worse than the vampires -- and they''re armed with pesto. Blameless is the third book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

From NYT bestselling author Gail Carriger comes a witty adventure about a young woman with rare supernatural abilities travels to India for a spot of tea and adventure and finds she''s bitten off more than she can chew. When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama ("Rue" to her friends) is bequeathed an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female under similar circumstances would do -- she christens it the Spotted Custard and floats off to India. Soon, she stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier''s wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves. Faced with a dire crisis (and an embarrassing lack of bloomers), Rue must rely on her good breeding -- and her metanatural abilities -- to get to the bottom of it all. . .

Class is back in session in this glorious steampunk series by bestselling author Gail Carriger. Sophronia continues her second year at finishing school in style--with a steel-bladed fan secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Such a fashionable choice of weapon comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey hijack a suspiciously empty train to return their chum Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland. But when Sophronia discovers they are being trailed by a dirigible of Picklemen and flywaymen, she unearths a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos. With her friends in mortal danger, Sophronia must sacrifice what she holds most dear--her freedom. Gather your poison, your steel-tipped quill, and the rest of your school supplies and join Mademoiselle Geraldine''s proper young killing machines in the third rousing installment in the New York Times bestselling Finishing School series.

Alexia Maccon, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears; leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria. But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. So even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can. She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it. Changeless is the second book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

If one must flirt...flirt with danger. Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine''s floating dirigible have become quite tedious without Sophronia''s sweet sootie Soap nearby. She would much rather be using her skills to thwart the dastardly Picklemen, but her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored, and now she''s not sure whom to trust. What does the brusque werewolf dewan know? On whose side is the ever-stylish vampire Lord Akeldama? Only one thing is certain: a large-scale plot is under way, and when it comes to fruition, Sophronia must be ready to save her friends, her school, and all of London from disaster--in decidedly dramatic fashion, of course. What will become of our proper young heroine when she puts her years of training to the test? Find out in this highly anticipated and thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Finishing School series!

Does one need four fully grown foxgloves for decorating a dinner table for six guests? Or is it six foxgloves to kill four fully grown guests? Sophronia''s first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine''s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy (and won''t Mumsy be surprised?). Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners. Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers'' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship''s boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a field trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot--one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card. In this bestselling sequel to New York Times bestselling Etiquette & Espionage, class is back in session with more petticoats and poison, tea trays and treason. Gail Carriger''s distinctive voice, signature humor, and lush steampunk setting are sure to be the height of fashion this season.

It''s one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It''s quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

In her alternate England of 1851, fifteen-year-old Sophronia tries to uncover who is behind a plot to control a prototype that has the potential to alter human and supernatural travel, and to learn what role Mademoiselle Geraldine''s academy for young

In her alternate England of 1851, while taking her friend Sidheag by train to her werewolf pack in Scotland, sixteen-year-old Sophronia uncovers a plot that threatens to dissolve all of London into chaos and must decide where her loyalties lie once a

From New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger comes the delightful sequel to Imprudence. Accidentally abandoned! All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, the Spotted Custard, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail. When she uncovers rumors of a new kind of vampire, Prim and the Custard crew embark on a mission to Peru. There, they encounter airship pirates and strange atmospheric phenomena, and are mistaken for representatives of the Spanish Inquisition. Forced into extreme subterfuge (and some rather ridiculous outfits) Prim must also answer three of life''s most challenging questions: Can the perfect book club give a man back his soul? Will her brother ever stop wearing his idiotic velvet fez? And can the amount of lard in Christmas pudding save an entire species?

In an alternate England of 1851, Sophronia Temminnick is the only hope for her friends, her school, and all of London when she must put her espionage training to the test to thwart an evil Picklemen plot.

The life of a spinster in Victorian London isn''t an easy one on the best of days, but such a life becomes infinitely more complicated when said spinster is "soulless" - a preternatural bridging the gap between the natural and supernatural worlds. Miss Alexia Tarabotti has this unique distinction, and when she is assailed at a formal gathering by a rove vampire, an encounter that results in the death of the half-starved creature, her circumstances become exponentially more complicated indeed! Now caught up in an intrigue with life or death stakes, Alexia must rely on all her talents to outmatch the forces conspiring against her, but it may be the man who has caught her eye - Lord Conall Maccon - and their budding flirtation that truly drives her to her wit''s end!

Condemned by society and her werewolf husband due to a pregnancy she cannot explain, Alexia Maccon - preternatural, tea aficionado - seeks an explanation for this "infant inconvenience" so as to cleanse her sullied reputation and prove her fool of a husband wrong. Preternaturals are a rare breed and the only history of their kind lies in Italy with the Templars, a group that once partnered with preternaturals to hunt down werewolves and vampires. Will Alexia find an explanation for her impossible offspring? Or do the Templars have other plans for the curious "Soulless One"?

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she''s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London''s high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? The Parasol Protectorate is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking. This boxed set includes the whole series: Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, and Timeless.

Settling into her new life as the Lady Woolsey, Alexia finds her days quite challenging. Whether it is a regiment of supernatural soldiers camped out on her front lawn or the demands of being the Queen''s "muhjah," there never seems to be a want of new hurdles to overcome. But when stories of supernaturals rendered normal by some unknown force begin cropping up, Alexia has a rather serious mystery on her hands. Can she root out the cause of this phenomenon, which smacks of some larger plot at work?

What is the Heroine''s Journey? How is it different from the Hero''s Journey? What makes Harry Potter different from Star Wars? Twilight from Wonder Woman? New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gail Carriger uses her comedic style to explore the mythological foundation of one of the most joyful and powerful narrative structures we have access to as storytellers. She teaches you to identify it, write it, and use it to recover from writer''s block. FIX YOUR STORY Explore hidden messages. Learn hacks and tips to improve your writing and make it more commercially viable. Gain insight into under-studied story arcs, tropes, characters, archetypes, and modern market desires. CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE Guaranteed to make you look at plot structure in books, video games, movies, and TV differently for the rest of your life. Take control of narrative while redefining notions of strength and identity. This book will change how you write, read, watch, interact, and think about genre fiction and the world around you. With over a dozen NYT and USA Today bestsellers, and over a million books in print, popular genre author and former archaeologist Gail Carriger brings her cheeky comedic tone and over a decade of making her living as a fiction author to this fascinating look at one of the most popular yet neglected narratives of our time.

Can a gentle werewolf heal the heart of a smart-mouthed mage? NYT bestseller Gail Carriger, writing as G. L. Carriger, presents an offbeat gay romance in which a sexy werewolf with a white knight complex meets a bad boy mage with an attitude problem. Sparks (and other things) fly. Max fails everything - magic, relationships, life. So he works for DURPS (the DMV for supernatural creatures) as a sumage, cleaning up other mages'' messes. The job sucks and he''s in no mood to cope with redneck biker werewolves. Unfortunately, there''s something oddly appealing about the huge, muscled Beta visiting his office for processing. Bryan AKA Biff (yeah, he knows) is gay but he''s not out. There''s a good chance Max might be reason enough to leave the closet, if he can only get the man to go on a date. Everyone knows werewolves hate mages, but Bryan is determined to prove everyone wrong, even the mage in question. Delicate Sensibilities? This story contains M/M sexitimes and horrible puns. If you get offended easily, then you probably will. The ----San Andreas Shifter stories contain blue language, dirty deeds, and outright admiration for the San Francisco Bay Area. Not for the faint of heart (mouth/tongue/etc.). This book stands alone, but there is a prequel short story featuring Bryan''s brother, Alec, the Alpha. Want to know why the pack moved? Read Marine Biology.

Saving the unwilling with song, one planet at a time. New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger brings you the thrilling conclusion to her Tinkered Starsong trilogy in which the true purpose of the divinity is revealed at last. Can a group of performers take on an entire alien species? Do they want to, if the price of the truth is their own popularity and the safety of billions? Phex, Missit, and their pantheons are the most popular gods in the galaxy and the aliens will stop at nothing to keep them singing. But with great fame comes great responsibility. As Phex finally understands the consequences of the music he produces, he is forced to choose between being a god and destroying humanity.If you could sing peace into the bones of the universe, would you? Even if no one wanted salvation? "A tapestry that is simultaneously witty, charming, exhilarating and downright fun." - fantasyliterature.com (Soulless)Ender''s Game but make it Kpop in the final installment of the Tinkered Starsong trilogy (follows Divinity 36 and Demigod 12) in which the mystery of the Dyesi is finally uncovered.The Tinkered Starsong series is complete at 3 books, with Dome 6 as the final installment. There is no cliffhanger.

Bookish and proper Percival Tunstell finds himself out of his depth when floating cities, spirited plumbing, and soggy biscuits collide in this delightful conclusion to NYT bestselling author Gail Carriger''s Custard Protocol series. Percival Tunstell loves that his sister and her best friend are building themselves a family of misfits aboard their airship, the Spotted Custard. Of course, he''d never admit that he belongs among them. He''s always been on the outside - dispassionate, aloof, and hatless. But accidental spies, a trip to Japan, and one smart and beautiful doctor may have him renegotiating his whole philosophy on life. Except hats. He''s done with hats. Thank you very much. Custard ProtocolPrudenceImprudenceCompetenceReticence For more from Gail Carriger, check out: Parasol ProtectorateSoullessChangelessBlamelessHeartlessTimeless

A vampire hive descending into madness. A beautiful spy with a sparkly plan. And the man who must keep them from killing each other. New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger brings you a charming story of love, espionage, and Gothic makeovers set in her popular Parasolverse. SPY Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott, code name Honey Bee, is the War Office''s best and most decorative fixer. She''s sweet and chipper, but oddly stealthy, and surprisingly effective given the right incentives. VERSUS KNIGHT Sir Crispin Bontwee was knighted for his military service, but instead of retiring, he secretly went to work for the War Office. Mostly he enjoys his job, except when he must safeguard the Honey Bee. Neither of them are vampire experts, but when Nottingham Hive goes badly Goth, only Dimity can stop their darkness from turning bloody. And only Crispin can stop an enthusiastic Dimity from death by vampire. In a battle for survival (and wallpaper), Dimity must learn that not all that sparkles is good, while Cris discovers he likes honey a lot more than he thought. "This intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans." ~ Publishers Weekly, starred review (Soulless) Spinning off from the Finishing School series, featuring deadly ladies of quality, this story stands alone but chronologically follows Poison or Protect. It''s Cold Comfort Farm meets Queer Eye meets What We Do In The Shadows from the author of the Parasol Protectorate books, perfect for fans of Julia Quinn, Jodi Taylor, or Meljean Brook. Delicate Sensibilities? Contains fraternizing vampires and one very curious young lady, who asks about it, sometimes in detail but mostly in retrospect. May also involve excessive use of velvet, melodramatic poetry, and the strategic application of interpretive ballet.

Book 1: SOULLESS Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she''s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London''s high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking. Book 2: CHANGELESS Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria. But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can. She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it. Book 3: BLAMELESS Quitting her husband''s house and moving back in with her horrible family, Lady Maccon becomes the scandal of the London season. Queen Victoria dismisses her from the Shadow Council, and the only person who can explain anything, Lord Akeldama, unexpectedly leaves town. To top it all off, Alexia is attacked by homicidal mechanical ladybugs, indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London''s vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead. While Lord Maccon elects to get progressively more inebriated and Professor Lyall desperately tries to hold the Woolsey werewolf pack together, Alexia flees England for Italy in search of the mysterious Templars. Only they know enough about the preternatural to explain her increasingly inconvenient condition, but they may be worse than the vampires -- and they''re armed with pesto.

Gay. Victorian. Werewolves. New York Times bestselling humor author Gail Carriger gives you everything you didn''t know you wanted from dandy shifters in her popular Parasolverse. ALPHA Biffy, newly minted Alpha of the London Pack, is not having a good Christmas. His Beta abandoned him. His werewolves object to his curtain choices. And someone keeps leaving human babies on his doorstep. BETA Professor Randolph Lyall returns home to London after twenty years abroad to find his pack in chaos and his Alpha in crisis. It will take a lot of Beta efficiency to set everything to rights. Perhaps, in the process, he may even mend his own heart. "This intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans." ~ Publishers Weekly, starred review (Soulless) This sweet funny romance is full of unexpected babysitting, holiday decorations, and no small amount of pining. Look for surprise appearances from popular side characters and the occasional strategic application of italics. Perfect for fans of KJ Charles, Jordan L Hawk, or Cat Sebastian this charming story features characters from Carriger''s Parasol Protectorate series. Queer as Folk goes supernatural in this much-anticipated reunion between a certain quietly capable Beta and the werewolf Alpha who let him slip away. The Supernatural Society stories stand alone and may be read in any order. But if you''re a stickler, this story chronologically follows Imprudence, and ties to events in Timeless. You can read what happens next to the packs in England and find out Channing''s backstory in How to Marry a Werewolf. Delicate Sensibilities? Contains men who love other men and have waited decades to do so. And if you like that kind of thing there is also Carriger''s San Andreas Shifter series. Also by Gail Carriger set in the Parasolverse The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn''t The Finishing School series The Delightfully Deadly stories The Parasol Protectorate series The Supernatural Society stories The Custard Protocol series The Claw & Courtship storiesAs G L Carriger The San Andreas Shifter series The 5th Gender

The aliens are coming for us and they want our voices. New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger brings you a gloriously warm and unique scifi about the power of art, celebrity, and found family.

All four books in New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger''s young adult steampunk Finishing School series are now available in one e-book bundle! Travel back to the beginning of Sophronia''s story in Etiquette & Espionage, then follow her many adventures through Curtsies & Conspiracies, Waistcoats & Weaponry, and Manners & Mutiny to the smashing series finale that will make you want to start all over again.

A sexy assassin, a sexy Scottish spy, and two lobsters attend a Victorian house party. New York Times bestselling comedy of manners author Gail Carriger brings you a charming story of love and espionage set in her popular Parasolverse. ASSASSIN Lady Preshea Villentia, the Mourning Star, has four dead husbands and a nasty reputation. Fortunately, she looks fabulous in black. What society doesn''t know is that all her husbands were marked for death by Preshea''s employer. And Preshea has one final assignment. VERSUS SCOTSMAN It was supposed to be easy, a house party with minimal bloodshed. Preshea hadn''t anticipated Captain Gavin Ruthven - massive, Scottish, quietly irresistible, and? working for the enemy. In a battle of wits, Preshea may risk her own heart - a terrifying prospect, as she never knew she had one. "This intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans." ~ Publishers Weekly, starred review (Soulless) May contain plaid, gentlemen eating dainty tea sandwiches, and the strategic application of leather gloves. Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Outlander in this seductive story from the author of the Parasol Protectorate books. Perfect for fans of Ilona Andrews, Lindsay Buroker, or Diana Gabaldon. From the author of the Finishing School series, featuring deadly ladies of quality, this story stands alone but you can find out what happened to the next generation in Reticence or read the next in the series Defy or defend. Delicate Sensibilities? Contains men pleasing women, and ladies who know what they want and ask for it, sometimes in detail. If you like that kind of thing, you''ll also enjoy How to Marry a Werewolf. Also by Gail Carriger set in the Parasolverse The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn''t The Finishing School series (start with Etiquette & Espionage) The Delightfully Deadly stories The Parasol Protectorate series (start with Soulless) The Supernatural Society stories The Custard Protocol series (start with Prudence) The Claw & Courtship stories As G L Carriger The San Andreas Shifter series (start with The Sumage Solution) The 5th Gender

From New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger comes the stunning sequel to Prudence. Rue and the crew of the Spotted Custard return from India with revelations that shake the foundations of England''s scientific community. Queen Victoria is not amused, the vampires are tetchy, and something is wrong with the local werewolf pack. To top it all off, Rue''s best friend Primrose keeps getting engaged to the most unacceptable military types. Rue has family problems as well. Her vampire father is angry, her werewolf father is crazy, and her obstreperous mother is both. Worst of all, Rue''s beginning to suspect that what they really are . . . is frightened.

From evil overlords to bumbling henchmen, talking cats to lovelorn fishermen, mad queens to wise opossums, the collected fourteen stories subvert popular fantasy tropes in surprising and delightful ways. This book collects some of the best funny fantasy fiction published in the past decade. Included are works by Hugo and Nebula Award winners, New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, as well as up-and-coming talented writers. Includes the following stories: “Dave the Mighty Steel-Thewed Avenger” by Laura Resnick “Crumbs” by Esther Friesner “Fellow Traveler” by Donald J. Bingle “A Fish Story” by Sarah Totton “Another End of the Empire” by Tim Pratt “Giantkiller” by G. Scott Huggins “A Mild Case of Death” by David Gerrold “Fairy Debt” by Gail Carriger “A Very Special Girl” by Mike Resnick “The Blue Corpse Corps” by Jim C. Hines “Librarians in the Branch Library of Babel” by Shaenon K. Garrity “The Queens Reason” by Richard Parks “The Best Little Cleaning Robot in All of Faerie” by Susan Jane Bigelow “Suede This Time” by Jean Rabe